Containment curtains as well as systems and apparatuses including same

ABSTRACT

Curtains are provided which have fastener/s and, in some cases, strut/s arranged along a screen. The strut/s extend to elevation/s below and/or above the fastener/s. An upper strut may have a lower degree of stiffness than a lower strut. In some cases, the fastener/s are arranged at least 20 inches from the screen&#39;s upper edge. Systems are described which include a disinfection apparatus and any of such curtains. Other systems include any of such curtains attached to an edge of a room divider. Easily assembled and disassembled room dividers are described which include cord/s and/or pole/s, installed or portable device/s for supporting the cords/poles, and fasteners for attaching a curtain to the cords/poles. A disinfection apparatus is described which includes a shield extending to an elevation at least two feet above a germicidal light source and borders at least one third of a continuous region surrounding the germicidal light source.

PRIORITY CLAIM

This application is a continuation of pending International PatentApplication No. PCT/US2014/059698 filed Oct. 8, 2014, which designatesthe United States and claims priority to U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 61/888,354, filed Oct. 8, 2013.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention generally relates to containment curtains and, morespecifically but not limited to, containment curtains for rooms whichtypically have multiple occupancy as well as systems and apparatusesincluding such containment curtains.

2. Description of the Related Art

The following descriptions and examples are not admitted to be prior artby virtue of their inclusion within this section.

Area/room disinfection is becoming increasingly important as pathogenicmicroorganisms have been shown to cause infections when present inoccupied rooms or areas. This is especially important as antimicrobialresistant organisms are becoming more prevalent and increasinglydifficult to treat. Examples of area/room disinfection applications arethose used in hospitals and those used in agricultural operations, suchas for breeding and/or farming animals. In general, the objective ofarea/room disinfection is to reduce the number of pathogenicmicroorganisms in an area/room to a level which is much less harmful tohuman health. In order to limit or prevent exposure of germicides and/ordistractions to occupants of a room or area, area/room disinfection istypically performed by trained cleaning personnel or by an automateddevice after a room has been vacated by the previous occupants. Completeevacuation of some areas/rooms, however, is sometimes difficult toattain due to the use of the area/room. For example, multiple occupancyrooms, such as but not limited to multiple occupancy patient rooms inhospitals, and/or relatively large high traffic areas with ambiguousboundaries, such as but not limited to nurses' stations in hospitals,can sometimes be difficult to evacuate for disinfection of the entirearea/room.

In some embodiments, portions of multiple occupancy rooms and/orrelatively large high traffic areas can be sectioned off using a roomdivider to establish a vacated area for area/room disinfectionprocedures. For example, a cubicle curtain in a multiple occupancypatient room may be drawn around a single patient bed after the patienthas left or a floor based paneled screen may be used to section off aportion of an area/room. In many of such cases, however, the roomdivider does not provide a barricade from floor to ceiling and, in someembodiments, the body portion of the room divider may be partiallytransparent and/or have open areas. Consequently, in many of such cases,persons occupying an area/room outside a region sectioned off by theroom divider are undesirably exposed to the germicide and/ordistractions of a disinfection process performed in the sectioned offregion. For some disinfection processes, such as but not limited tothose which utilize ultraviolet electromagnetic radiation subtype C(UVC) light, human exposure to the germicide is prohibited or needs tobe minimized to undetectable levels and, thus, such disinfectionprocesses typically cannot be used for regions of an area/room sectionedoff by a room divider which is transparent and/or does not completelybarricade a region.

Accordingly, it would be beneficial to develop screens which serve tobetter barricade regions of a room, particularly in conjunction with butnot limited to existing room dividers. In addition, it would beadvantageous to develop systems and apparatuses including such screens.It would be further beneficial to configure the screens, systems, andapparatuses to be easily set up, handled and stored.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following description of various embodiments of apparatuses is notto be construed in any way as limiting the subject matter of theappended claims.

Embodiments of curtains include a screen configured to attenuate amajority amount of the visible light spectrum and/or a majority amountof the UVC light spectrum and one or more fasteners disposed along thescreen at least 20 inches from an upper edge of the screen, wherein theone or more fasteners are configured for attaching the curtain to anobject.

Other embodiments of curtains include a screen, one or more fastenersdisposed along the screen, and one or more struts coupled to the one ormore fasteners, wherein the one or more struts extend to an elevation atleast 24 inches below the one or more fasteners.

Yet other embodiments of curtains include a pliable screen and afastener disposed along the pliable screen, wherein the fastener isconfigured for attaching the curtain to an object. Such curtains furtherinclude a lower strut coupled to the fastener and extending to anelevation below the fastener as well as an upper strut coupled to thepliable screen, wherein the upper strut extends to an elevation abovethe fastener, and wherein the upper strut comprises a lower degree ofstiffness than the lower strut.

Embodiments of systems include a disinfection apparatus comprising oneor more germicidal light sources and a curtain of any of theaforementioned embodiments.

Other embodiments of systems include a room divider having an edgedisposed at least four feet from a floor of a room and an auxiliarycurtain of any of the aforementioned embodiments attached to the edge.

Embodiments of room dividers include one or more cords and a pluralityof portable devices for supporting the one or more cords, wherein eachof the plurality of portable devices has one of the cords attachedthereto or is configured to receive attachment of one of the cords. Theroom dividers further include a means for removably securing each of theplurality of portable devices in different locations in a room, acurtain, a plurality of fasteners for attaching the curtain to one ofthe one or more cords suspended between two of the portable devices, anda means for affecting mobility of the one or more cords, the pluralityof portable devices, the curtain, and the plurality of fastenerstogether.

Other embodiments of room dividers include one or more cords or polesand one or more devices for supporting the one or more cords or poles,wherein each of the one or more devices has one of the cords or polesattached thereto or is configured to receive attachment of one of thecords or poles. The room dividers further include a curtain of any ofthe aforementioned embodiments.

Embodiments of a disinfection apparatus includes a germicidal lightsource arranged within the apparatus to emit light into an ambient of aroom in which the apparatus is arranged, a support structure supportinga base of the germicidal light source, and a shield attached to thesupport structure. The shield extends to a first elevation at least twofeet above the germicidal light source and borders at least one third ofa continuous region surrounding the germicidal light source. Inaddition, the shield is configured to block a majority amount of thevisible light spectrum and/or a majority amount of the ultravioletelectromagnetic radiation subtype C light spectrum.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent uponreading the following detailed description and upon reference to theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a curtain having fasteners affixed to a sheet ofmaterial and struts of different materials extending above and below thefasteners;

FIGS. 2a-2c illustrate alternative configurations for the compositefastener/strut components illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 2d illustrates a curtain having an upper strut spaced apart from alower strut and fastener of the curtain;

FIGS. 2e and 2f illustrate curtains having an alternative placement ofupper struts and alternative configurations of screens relative to FIG.1;

FIGS. 2g and 2h illustrate curtains absent upper struts and havingalternative configurations of screens relative to FIG. 1;

FIG. 2i illustrates an alternative configuration for the compositefastener/strut components illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 2j illustrates a curtain having a lower strut with a handle and afastener disposed on an opposite side of a screen than the handle;

FIGS. 3a-3c illustrate examples of curtains having fasteners and lowerstruts attached to various room dividers;

FIG. 4 illustrates a system including a disinfection apparatus and acurtain with fasteners and struts;

FIGS. 5a-5c illustrate example uses of auxiliary curtains attached tocubicle curtains of multiple occupancy patient rooms;

FIG. 6 illustrates a disinfection apparatus with a shield partiallysurrounding a germicidal source;

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of a room divider that is easily assembledand dissembled;

FIGS. 8-11 illustrate auxiliary curtains and devices for blocking openor perforated areas of cubicle curtains; and

FIG. 12 illustrates opposing cubicle curtains each having a moveableflap arranged below their open and/or perforated section and attached toeach other.

While the invention is susceptible to various modifications andalternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way ofexample in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. Itshould be understood, however, that the drawings and detaileddescription thereto are not intended to limit the invention to theparticular form disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is tocover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within thespirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appendedclaims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Turning to the drawings, examples of curtains as well as differentconfigurations of components comprising such curtains are shown in FIGS.1-2 j. Furthermore, FIGS. 3a-3c illustrate example uses of such curtainsand FIGS. 4-5 c depict example systems and uses of curtains withdisinfection sources. It is noted that although the curtains describedherein are emphasized for use in conjunction existing room dividers,particularly room dividers commonly used in patient settings (such ascubicle curtains), the use of the curtains described herein is notnecessarily so limited. In particular, the curtains described herein maybe used in any environment and for any use in which it may be desirableto conceal an area, block light, decorate an area, divide a room and/orincrease privacy. Moreover, the curtains described herein need not behung on a room divider, but rather may be hung on any structure.Furthermore, although the curtains described herein are emphasized foruse in conjunction with disinfection apparatuses, particularly thosewhich include germicidal lamps, the use of the curtains described hereinis not necessarily so limited. In particular, the curtains describedherein may be used without employing a disinfection apparatus. As willbe set forth in more detail below, the curtains and systems describedherein are not limited to the depictions in the drawings. Furthermore,it is noted that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale in thatparticular features may be drawn to a larger scale than other featuresto emphasize their characteristics.

Turning to FIG. 1, curtain 30 is shown having fasteners 32 affixed toone side of screen 34 and disposed between lower struts 36 and upperstruts 38. In general, fasteners 32 may include any means by which toattach screen 34 to an object. Although hooks are emphasized herein,other types of fasteners may be considered for fasteners 32, includingbut not limited to clips, ties, snaps, pins, clasps, buckles, magnets,and loops engageable with a hook (e.g., the eye component of a hook andeye complementary fastener). Furthermore, screen 34 and fasteners 32 mayinclude any combination of any materials and any fasteners which yieldcurtain 30 to be hung. More specifically, fastener/s and material/s maybe selected such that the fastener/s are sufficient to couple and holdthe material/s to an object, taking into consideration the weight andconfiguration of the material. In any case, curtain 30 may include anynumber of fasteners, including a single fastener or a plurality offasteners greater or less than the four fasteners depicted in theexample of FIG. 1.

It is noted that the reference of curtain 30 as a piece of material tobe hung refers to the curtain being capable for suspension, but does notinfer the curtain does not come into contact with other objects orsurfaces. In particular, the curtains described herein may, in someembodiments, be configured to touch the floor, the ceiling or otherobjects or surfaces of a room in which they are hung. The term room asused herein refers to a space in which an adult human being of averagesize may comfortably occupy for at least a period of time to eat, sleep,work, lounge, partake in an activity, or complete a task therein.Examples of rooms include but are not limited to single patient rooms,multiple occupancy patient rooms, bathrooms, walk-in closets, hallways,bedrooms, offices, operating rooms, patient examination rooms, waitingand/or lounging areas and nursing stations. In some cases, rooms may bebounded and include a door for entering and exiting the room. In othercases, a room may be an area with indeterminate boundaries. In view ofthe latter, it is noted that the room dividers described herein may bealternatively referred to as area dividers.

As shown in FIG. 1, fasteners 32 may, in some cases, be disposed on thesame side of screen 34 as lower struts 36 and upper struts 38. In otherembodiments, however, fasteners 32 may be disposed on the other side ofscreen 34 (i.e., the side of screen 34 opposing the side on which lowerstruts 36 and upper struts 38 are disposed). In yet other cases, lowerstruts 36 and upper struts 38 may be disposed on opposing sides ofscreen and fasteners 32 may be affixed to either side of screen 34. Asan alternative to any of such cases, fasteners 32 may, in someembodiments, be disposed to both sides of screen 34. In some cases, anyor all of lower struts 36 and upper struts 38 may be disposed withinscreen 34. Further yet, regardless of whether lower struts 36 and/orupper struts are disposed exterior or interior to screen 34, one or moreof fasteners 32 may be disposed within interior portions of screen 34and then extend out to one or both sides of screen 34.

In some cases, it may be advantageous to have fasteners 32 disposed onan opposing side of screen 34 as lower struts 36. In particular, such aconfiguration may allow an individual grasping lower struts 36 on oneside of curtain 30 to more easily mount the curtain in a forward motionaway from the individual's body or at least make mounting the curtain insuch a manner more intuitive. It is conceivable, however, that mountingcurtain 30 in a forward motion away from a individual's body may beachieved by an individual grasping screen 34 around lower struts 36 whenlower struts 36 are disposed interior to screen 34 or are disposed onthe same side of screen 34 as fasteners 32. In yet other cases, curtain30 may be mounted in a backward motion toward the body of the individualmounting the curtain. In such embodiments, it may be advantageous forfasteners 32 to be disposed on the same side of screen 34 as lowerstruts 36, although lower struts 36 could alternatively be disposedinterior to screen 34 or on the other side of screen 34.

In any case, fasteners 32 may be disposed at or near the upper edge ofscreen 34 in some embodiments (i.e., fasteners 32 may, in some cases, bedisposed at different locations of screen 34 each of which is no morethan approximately three inches from a respective upper edge of screen34 as measured along a phantom reference line along the screenperpendicular to the upper edge). Alternatively, fasteners 32 may bedisposed at different locations of screen 34 each of which is greaterthan approximately three inches from a respective upper edge of screen34 as measured along a phantom reference line along the screenperpendicular to the upper edge. In some embodiments, fasteners 32 maybe disposed at different locations of screen 34 each of which is greaterthan approximately 12 inches from an upper edge of screen 34 as measuredalong a phantom reference line along the screen perpendicular to theupper edge. As described in more detail below, particularly in referenceto cubicle curtains, fasteners 32 may, in some cases, be disposed atdifferent locations of screen 34 each of which is at least approximately20 inches from an upper edge of screen 34 as measured along a phantomreference line along the screen perpendicular to the upper edge.

Regardless of the positions of fasteners 32 from an upper edge of screen34, fasteners 32 may be spaced any distance from each other along screen34. In particular, although it may be advantageous for fasteners 32 tobe evenly spaced across screen 34 such that screen 34 may be uniformlyhung, fasteners 32 may be spaced non-evenly in some cases. In yet otherembodiments, curtain 30 may include a single fastener which extendsacross a majority or entire width of screen 34. In some cases, fasteners32 may be adjustable along the length and/or the width of screen 34. Inparticular, curtain 30 may, in some embodiments, include one or moremeans by which to allow fasteners 32 to be moved in the vertical and/orhorizontal direction. In this way, the arrangement of fasteners 32 alongscreen 30 may be changed for a desired effect of curtain 30,particularly whether there is more or less of screen 30 above or belowthe fasteners and/or in regard to optimizing the spacings of fasteners32 to allow curtain to hang in a desired fashion. In any case, fasteners32 may, in some embodiments, be affixed to exterior surfaces of screen34. Alternatively, fasteners 32 may be affixed to interior surfaces ofscreen 34 and extend through openings within screen 34. In yet othercases, fasteners 32 may be coupled to supports within screen 34 orsupports affixed to exterior surfaces of screen 34 and, thus, fasteners32 may not be directly affixed to screen 34 in some cases.

Regardless of the arrangement of fasteners 32 along screen 34, screen 34may extend any distance below fasteners 32, depending on the designspecifications for the curtain. As set forth in more detail below, thecurtains described herein may, in some embodiments, be used to blocklight emitted from germicidal lamp/s of a disinfection apparatus.Similarly, in cases which the curtains described herein are used inconjunction with a disinfection apparatus having a germicidal sourceother than a lamp, the curtains may, in some embodiments, be used toblock the germicide emitted from the germicidal source. In any of suchcases, it may be advantageous for screen 34 to extend at least to anelevation below the germicidal source/s of the apparatus. Depending onthe configuration of the disinfection apparatus and the height at whichcurtain 30 is hung, a lower edge of screen 34 may, in some embodiments,be at least approximately 1.5 feet away from fasteners 32 and, in somecases, at least approximately 3.0 feet away from fasteners 32. In yetother embodiments, screen 34 may extend to an elevation withinapproximately 18 inches from the floor of a room in which curtain 30 ishung, including coming into contact with the floor. Alternatively,screen 34 may not substantially extend below fasteners 32 (i.e., notmore than approximately 3 inches). In particular, the object to whichcurtain 30 may be attached may be sufficient to block enough visibleand/or UVC light generated from germicidal lamp/s of a disinfectionapparatus or block enough germicide generated from non-lamp source/s ofa disinfection apparatus in a region which extends below fasteners 32and, thus, screen 34 may not need a lower section of great length (i.e.,the section extending below fasteners 32) in some cases.

As noted above, the curtains described herein may be used in conjunctionwith cubicle curtains. As used herein, the term “cubicle curtain” refersto a hanging cloth used in a medical treatment facility that provides aprivate enclosure in a room. In general, cubicle curtains and/or cubiclecurtain tracks are configured such that there is open and/or perforated(e.g., mesh) space extending at least approximately 20 inches from theceiling of the room, and more specifically, between approximately 20inches and approximately 25 inches. In particular, cubicle curtaintracks may be hung a spaced distance (i.e., at least approximately 20inches) from a ceiling and/or cubicle curtains may include a perforatedupper section of at least approximately 20 inches from an upper edge ofthe curtain. Additionally or alternatively, a cubicle curtain mayinclude hooks of substantial length (e.g., between approximately 5inches and approximately 25 inches) attached to an upper edge of thecurtain. In any case, an open or perforated space near the ceiling mayallow sprinkler heads exterior to an area encased by a cubicle curtainto disperse water to that area and/or allow sprinkler heads in theencased area to disperse water exterior to the area. In addition oralternatively, curtain racks suspended approximately 20 inches or morefrom a ceiling may allow cubicle curtains to be generally hung without aladder.

In some cases, it may be advantageous to block an open and/or perforatedspace provided by a cubicle curtain or a suspended cubicle curtain rackto prevent transmission of a germicide generated on the other side ofthe cubicle curtain. Thus, in some embodiments, fasteners 32 may bearranged at different locations of screen 34 each of which is at leastapproximately 20 inches and, in some cases at least 25 inches, from arespective upper edge of screen 34 as measured along a phantom referenceline along the screen perpendicular to the upper edge. In other cases,however, an open and/or perforated space provided by a cubicle curtainor a suspended cubicle curtain rack may not need to be completelyblocked or blocked at all and, thus, in some embodiments, fasteners 32may be arranged at different locations of screen 34 each of which isless than approximately 20 inches from a respective upper edge of screen34 as measured along a phantom reference line along the screenperpendicular to the upper edge. In any case, the idea of arrangingfasteners 32 at different locations of screen 34 each of which is atleast approximately 20 inches from a respective upper edge of screen 34need not be specific to use of curtain 30 as an addendum to a cubiclecurtain. In particular, the placement of fasteners 32 at least 20 inchesfrom upper edges of screen 34 may be applicable when curtain 30 is usedas an addendum to other types of room dividers or when curtain 30 is tobe hung independent of a room divider.

In some cases, screen 34 may be pliable such that curtain 30 may bereadily bent and/or compacted. In such embodiments, it is noted thateven though the term curtain is often used in reference to fabrics(i.e., woven, knitted or felted textiles), the curtains described hereinare not so limited. In particular, screen 34 may include any pliablenon-textile material/s and/or any pliable textile material/s. Examplesof pliable materials for screen 34 include but are not limited to nylon,rayon and polyester. In yet other embodiments, screen 34 may benon-pliable or screen 34 may include a combination of pliable andnon-pliable sections. Examples of non-pliable materials for screen 34include but are not limited to metals, relatively stiff plasticmaterials, and wood. As discussed in more detail below, the amount ofspace above a room divider may vary among dividers. In order to insurethe ability of the section of screen 34 above fasteners 32 to block suchspaces, it may be conducive for at least the section of screen 34 abovefasteners 32 to include a pliable material such that it may bend whenplaced in an area of lesser height than its length (i.e., when it isabutted against a ceiling of a room). As further explained below, inorder to allow such suppleness, but yet have upper section of screen 34prop up to cover the space, curtain 30 includes upper struts 38 inand/or along the upper section of screen 34. In addition to upper struts38, the pliable material comprising the section of screen 34 abovefasteners 32 may, in some cases, have a sufficient degree of stiffnessto aid in preventing the portion of the screen above fastener 32 fromflopping or slumping over.

In some cases, a portion or all of screen 34 may include an absorbentpliable material. More specifically, it may be advantageous for at leastan upper section of screen 34, particularly the portion of screen 34above fasteners 32, to be sufficiently water absorbent such that ifsprinklers on a ceiling are activated when the curtain is beingutilized, the upper section of screen 34 will move downward (e.g., folddown, collapse, etc.) by the weight of the absorbed water. Such actionwill open a space by which water from the sprinklers (on either side ofcurtain 30) may pass, possibly allowing use of the curtain to meet firebuilding codes and/or fire building standards. In general, screen 34 mayinclude any absorbent pliable material. Examples of absorbent materialswhich may be included in screen 34 include but are not limited tosponges and hydrogel crystals incorporated into a pliable material. Inany case, screen 34 may include any number of sheets of material/s,including a single sheet of material or multiple sheets layered uponeach other. Each sheet may include a single type of material or multipletypes of materials. In embodiments in which multiple sheets of materialsare used, some or all of the sheets may include the same material/s aseach other or they may include different materials.

As described in more detail below, in cases in which a disinfectionapparatus having germicidal lamps is used in conjunction with curtain30, it may be advantageous for screen 34 to include a material toattenuate a majority amount of the visible light spectrum and/or amajority amount of the ultraviolet electromagnetic radiation subtype C(UVC) light spectrum. Furthermore, in some cases, it may be advantageousfor at least one side of screen 34 to be highly reflective, particularlyto UVC light. In particular, it may be advantageous for at least oneside of screen 34 to include a material which exhibits greater than 50%reflectance, or more specifically, greater than 85% reflectance.Examples of reflective materials which may be employed include but arenot limited to metalized nylon, biaxially-oriented polyethyleneterephthalate (boPET) (e.g., Mylar), and GORE® DRP® Diffuse ReflectorMaterial available from W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc. In addition oralternative to being highly reflective, screen 34 may include a varietyof other material characteristics, such as but not limited to beingantimicrobial and/or fire resistant. In some cases, screen 34 mayinclude a material which is resistant to degradation by exposure tochemical agents, particularly those which may be used for liquid, gas,vapor or plasma germicides. Such a material may be particularly suitablein embodiments in which curtain 30 is used in conjunction with adisinfection apparatus having germicidal sources other than lamps, lightemitting diode (LED) solid state devices, or lasers.

As discussed above, curtain 30 may include lower struts 36 coupled tofasteners 32 and extending to an elevation below fasteners 32. Ingeneral, lower struts 36 provide a manner by which to manipulate curtain30 such that fasteners 32 may be joined to an object for hanging curtain30 as well as disconnecting fasteners 32 from an object when curtain 30is taken down. In particular, lower struts 36 are compositionally and/orstructurally configured such that curtain 30 may be lifted or loweredvia lower struts 36 and, correspondingly, mounted or dismounted from anobject, particularly to and from a surface of an object which is higherthan the person manipulating curtain 30. In view thereof, each of lowerstruts 36 include a material composition and a structural configuration(e.g., length, width and density) which can support each ofcorresponding fasteners 32 and adjacent portions of screen 34 when lowerstruts 36 are grasped and lifted or lowered. More specifically, each oflower struts 36 may include a material composition and a structuralconfiguration which does not yield lower struts 36 to substantially bendor compress upon application of an amount of force needed to lift orlower curtain 30. Example materials for lower struts 36 include but arenot limited to metals, relatively stiff plastic materials, and wood.Examples of structural configurations may include a rod of sufficientlength, width and density to prevent bending or compression of the rodwhen lifting or lowering curtain 30. In some cases, lower struts 36 mayinclude mechanisms by which to manipulate fasteners to couple to anobject. For example, lower struts 36 may, in some embodiments, includelatches by which to open and close clasps serving as fasteners 32. Othermechanisms for other types of fasteners may be considered.

In addition to their configuration to resist deformation upon liftingand lowering curtain 30, lower struts 36 may have a length which allowsa user to lift and lower curtain 30 without the need of a ladder. Inparticular, as noted above, curtain 30 may be used as an addendum toexisting room dividers and many room dividers extend to heights greaterthan six feet from a floor of a room. Given height variability amongpeople, it may be advantageous for lower struts 36 to extend toelevations at least 24 inches below fasteners 32 to ensure thesuitability of curtain 30 to be easily mounted and dismounted for avariety of users. In some cases, however, lower struts 36 may extend toelevations less than 24 inches below fasteners 32. Regardless of theirlength, lower struts 36 may be spaced any distance along screen 34 whichenables each of lower struts 36 to sufficiently support its adjoiningfastener and adjacent amounts of screen 34 such that the correspondingportion of curtain 30 can be mounted and dismounted to an object.Although a spacing of approximately 1 foot to approximately 3 feetbetween lower struts 36 may be conducive for a user to manipulate two ofthe lower struts at once, narrower and wider spacings may be considered.In particular, it is noted that lower struts 36 may be manipulatedindividually for mounting and dismounting curtain 30. Furthermore,curtain 30 may include any number of lower struts 36, including a singlelower strut or any plurality of lower struts and, thus, curtain 30should not be restricted to the depiction in FIG. 1.

It is further noted that lower struts 36 can be coupled to screen 34,but they need not be nor do lower struts 36 need to be arranged on thesame side of screen 34 as fasteners 32. In particular, in some cases,lower struts 36 may be partially or fully arranged on the opposite sideof screen 34 as fasteners 32. In other embodiments, lower struts 36 maybe partially or fully arranged internal to multiple sheets of screen 34or may be arranged within pleats of screen 34. In any case, lower struts36 may be directly coupled to fasteners 32 or they may be indirectlycoupled to fasteners 32, such as via an extension rod. Furthermore,although lower struts 36 are shown in FIG. 1 extending down to the sameelevation, lower struts 36 need not be so limited. In particular, one ormore of lower struts 36 may extend down to different elevations than theother lower struts. In addition, although lower struts 36 may includethe same material composition and structural configuration as eachother, lower struts 36 are not necessarily so restricted. In particular,one or more of lower struts 36 may have different material compositionsand/or structural configurations than the other lower struts. Moreover,lower struts 36 may include the same or different material compositionas fasteners 32. Furthermore, the number of lower struts 36 need notequal the number of fasteners 32 as shown in FIG. 1. In particular,curtain 30 may include fewer or more lower struts 36 than fasteners 32in some cases.

As further shown in FIG. 1, curtain 30 may include upper struts 38coupled to screen 34 and extending to an elevation above fasteners 32.In general, upper struts 38 prop up the section of curtain 30 abovefasteners 32. In particular, upper struts 38 are compositionally and/orstructurally configured such that the section of curtain 30 abovefasteners 32 does not flop or slump over. In some embodiments, upperstruts 38 may include a substantially rigid material and/or structuralconfiguration. In some of such cases, upper struts 38 may include thesame material composition and structural configuration as lower struts36. In other such cases, upper struts 38 may include different materialcompositions and/or structural configurations than lower struts 36. Inyet other embodiments, upper struts 38 may be materially andstructurally configured such that upper struts 38 may bend or bow, butnot break if a force is applied to them, such as shown in FIG. 1. Morespecifically, upper struts 38 may be materially and structurallyconfigured such that upper struts 38 may bend or bow, but not break ifthey are introduced into an area of lesser height than their lengths. Insome of such cases, upper struts 38 may be inherently curved withouthaving any pressure applied to them (i.e., upper struts 38 may beintrinsically convex relative to fasteners 32 as shown in FIG. 1 or,alternatively, upper struts 38 may be intrinsically concave relative tofasteners 32). In yet other embodiments, upper struts 38 may beinherently straight unless pressure is applied to them.

As mentioned above, in some embodiments, it may be advantageous to blockan open or perforated space above or along an upper section of a roomdivider, such as commonly afforded by cubicle curtains, suspendedcubicle curtain racks and other room dividers. Given the heightvariability of open and/or perforated spaces among different cubiclecurtain configurations, it may be advantageous for upper struts 38 tohave length of at least 20 inches or, in some cases, at least 22 inchesto ensure the suitability of curtain 30 to block open and/or perforatedspaces in a variety of scenarios. In such cases, it would beparticularly advantageous for upper struts 38 to be materially andstructurally configured such that they may bend, but not break uponcontact with a ceiling. Example materials for upper struts 38 in suchcases may be substantially pliable materials as similarly used for bikeflag poles or the peripheral cord used for twisting windshield sunshades. Other materials may be considered as well. Example structuralconfigurations for upper struts 38 which may aid in inducing arelatively low degree of stiffness is to have a relatively thin, narrowor hollow construction. Other structural configurations may beconsidered as well. It is noted that, in some cases, upper struts 38 mayhave a length less than 22 inches, more specifically less than 20 inchesand, in some cases, less than 12 inches, but such relatively shortlengths need not exclude the possibility of upper struts 38 to be of apliable material and/or structural construction to make upper struts 38supple.

In some embodiments, upper struts 38 may include a lower degree ofstiffness than lower struts 36. More specifically, upper struts 38 mayinclude different material compositions and/or structural configurationsto affect a lower degree of stiffness relative to lower struts 36. Inparticular, a variability of stiffness among lower struts 36 and upperstruts 38 may beneficially allow curtain 30 to be mounted and dismountedfrom an object particularly close to a ceiling. More specifically, avariability of stiffness among lower struts 36 and upper struts 38 mayadvantageously allow curtain 30 to be lifted and lowered without theneed of a ladder by a user and yet block an entirety of a spaceextending up to the ceiling. Any combination of materials of differingstiffness may be used for upper struts 38 and lower struts 36, dependingon the design specifications of curtain 30. In some embodiments,however, upper struts 38 and lower struts 36 may be of the same materialcomposition but vary in stiffness. In such cases, the structuralconfigurations of the struts may solely affect their differences instiffness. Example structural configurations which may aid in inducing alower degree of stiffness relative to lower struts 36 is for upperstruts 38 to have a thinner, narrower, or hollow construction ascompared to lower struts 36. Other structural configurations may beconsidered as well. In general, any degree of stiffness variability toaffect the respective objectives for struts 36 and 38 may be employed(i.e., to support fasteners 32 and screen 34 such that curtain 30 may belifted and lowered via lower struts 36 and to allow upper struts 38 tobend or bow, but not break, upon application of force thereto). Examplesof variability differences may be lower struts 36 being at least 20%more stiff than upper struts 38 and, in some cases, lower struts 36being at least 50% more stiff than upper struts 38.

Regardless of their relative stiffness, lower struts 36 and upper struts38 may, in some embodiments, be coupled to each other, either directlyor via fasteners 32. In some cases, lower struts 36 and upper struts 38may be integral portions of a single strut. In such embodiments,fasteners 32 may be directly coupled to upper struts 38 and/or lowerstruts 36. Alternatively, fasteners 32 may be coupled to them via anextension rod. In yet other embodiments, lower struts 36 and upperstruts 38 may be distinct components. In some of such cases, the strutsmay be directly coupled to each other or indirectly coupled to eachother via fastener 32 and/or a connecting rod. In yet other embodiments,lower struts 36 and upper struts 38 may not be connected to each other.In any case, curtain 30 may include any number of upper struts 38,including a single upper strut or a plurality of upper struts greater orless than the four upper struts depicted in the example of FIG. 1. Insome embodiments, the number of lower and upper struts in curtain 30need not be the same. In particular, curtain 30 may include a greaterquantity of lower struts 36 than upper struts 38 or vice versa.Furthermore, the spacing of upper struts 38 need not be the same as thespacing of lower struts 36. In particular, upper struts 38 may be spacedany distance along screen 34 which enable the upper section of thescreen to be sufficiently upheld.

Furthermore, upper struts 38 need not be coupled to the same side ofscreen 34 as fasteners 32 such as shown in FIG. 1. In particular, upperstruts 38 may be partially or fully arranged the opposite side of screen34 as fasteners 32. In other embodiments, upper struts 38 may bepartially or fully arranged internal to multiple sheets of screen 34 ormay be arranged within pleats of screen 34. Furthermore, upper struts 38can be coupled to screen 34, but they need not be nor do upper struts 38need to be arranged on the same side of screen 34 as lower struts 36. Inany case, although upper struts 38 are shown in FIG. 1 extending to thesame elevation, upper struts 38 need not be so limited. In particular,one or more of upper struts 38 may extend to different elevations thanthe other upper struts. In addition, although upper struts 38 mayinclude the same material composition and structural configuration,upper struts 38 are not necessarily so restricted. In particular, one ormore of upper struts 38 may have different material compositions and/orstructural configurations than the other upper struts. Moreover, upperstruts 38 may include the same or different material composition asfasteners 32.

As set forth above, the components of curtain 30 may include multiplevariations from what is depicted in FIG. 1. Some of such variations aredepicted in FIGS. 2a-2i to further highlight the scope of the differentconfigurations possible for curtain 30. It is noted that not allvariations to curtain 30 are included in the drawings for the sake ofbrevity. It is further noted that the entirety of curtain 30 is notdepicted in each of FIGS. 2a-2i for the sake of brevity and further toemphasize the features varied from FIG. 1. Elements of FIG. 1 that aresimilarly configured have been indicated using the same referencenumerals in FIGS. 2a -2 i. It is noted that none of the features orvariations emphasized in FIGS. 2a-2i are mutually exclusive of eachother and, thus, any combination of the configurations described hereinfor fasteners, screens, lower struts, and upper struts may be consideredfor a curtain.

Turning to FIG. 2a , an alternative embodiment of an upper strut isshown. In particular, upper strut 40 is show in FIG. 2a having anarrower configuration than upper strut 38 shown in FIG. 1 and, morespecifically narrower than lower strut 36. Such a structural variationbetween upper strut 40 and lower strut 36 may affect a variation ofstiffness between the struts, particularly if they are of the samematerial composition, but they may have different material compositions.In general, the degree by which upper strut 40 is narrower than lowerstrut 36 may depend on the material composition of strut 40 as well asthe design specifications of curtain 30. FIG. 2b illustrates analternative embodiment in which lower strut 42 is solid and upper strut44 is hollow as respectively depicted by the cross-sectional views alonglines A-A and B-B. As with FIG. 2a , such a structural variation betweenupper strut 44 and lower strut 42 may affect a variation of stiffnessbetween the struts, particularly if they are of the same materialcomposition. In yet other cases, both struts 42 and 44 may be hollow andthe degree of hollowness may be varied between them. For instance, theupper strut may have a larger interior cavity than the lower strut. FIG.2c illustrates yet other alternative embodiment in which upper strut 46has a shorter length than the upper struts shown and described inreference to FIGS. 1, 2 a and 2 b.

It is noted that struts described in reference to FIG. 2b as well as inreference to FIGS. 1, 2 a, and 2 c-2 i are not restricted to the lowerand upper struts being cylindrical, such as depicted in FIG. 2b . Inparticular, the struts described herein may have any cross-sectionalshape. Furthermore, the lower struts and the upper struts of a givencurtain may have the same cross-sectional shape or differentcross-sectional shapes. For example, the lower struts may be rods havinga circular cross section and the upper struts may be substantially flatpanels. Other combinations of cross-sectional shapes may be consideredfor the lower and upper struts as well.

As noted above, upper strut 38 and lower strut 36 of FIG. 1 need not beconnected to each other. Example embodiments having an upper strutseparate (i.e., not connected) to a lower strut are depicted in FIGS. 2d-2 f. In addition, FIGS. 2d-2f illustrate further variations to thecomponents of curtain 30 of FIG. 1 as set forth below. It is noted thatthe further variations are not mutually exclusive to having an upperstrut not connected to a lower strut of the curtain. Turning to FIG. 2d, upper strut 48 is shown separate from lower strut 36 and fastener 32.In addition, upper strut 48 is shown disposed within multiple sheets ofscreen 34 or disposed on the opposing exterior side of screen 34, as isdenoted by the outline of dotted lines for upper strut 48.

Yet another alterative embodiment is shown in FIG. 2e with upper strut50 separate from lower strut 36 and fastener 32 but coupled to the sameside of the screen, albeit different materials of the screen. Inparticular, FIG. 2e illustrates a screen having lower section 52 andupper section 54 of different materials to which lower strut 36 andupper strut 38 are respectively coupled. As mentioned above in referenceto FIG. 1, it may be conducive for at least the section of screen 34above fasteners 32 to include a pliable material such that it may bendwhen placed in an area of lesser height than its length (i.e., when itis abutted against a ceiling of a room). As such, for the embodiments ofFIG. 2e , it may be generally prudent to have section 54 comprisepliable material/s. Section 52, on the other hand, may include pliableand/or non-pliable material/s. In cases in which both sections of thescreen comprise pliable materials, upper section 54 may have a higherdegree of stiffness than lower section 52 or vice versa.

Another embodiment in which upper strut 50 is shown separate from lowerstrut 36 and fastener 32 is shown in FIG. 2f . In particular, FIG. 2fillustrates upper strut 50 coupled to screen 56, which does not extendsubstantially below fastener 32. As noted above, such a curtainconfiguration may be suitable in cases in which a room divider to whichthe curtain is attached may be sufficient to block enough visible and/orUVC light generated from germicidal lamps of a disinfection apparatus orblock enough germicide generated from non-lamp source/s of adisinfection apparatus. Thus, in such cases, a lower section of a screenbelow fasteners 32 may not be needed.

In some embodiments, a curtain having one or more of the featuresdescribed herein may not include an upper strut. Examples of suchembodiments are shown in FIGS. 2g and 2h . In particular, FIG. 2gillustrates a curtain with fastener 32 affixed to lower section 52 of ascreen and having lower strut 36 extending to an elevation belowfastener 32. The curtain further includes upper section 58 extending toan elevation above fastener 32, but the curtain is absent of an upperstrut. In general, upper section 58 may include a material of sufficientstiffness such that portion of the screen above fastener 32 may bepropped up without use of an upper strut. In some cases, upper section58 may be a substantially rigid material, but in other cases uppersection 58 may include a pliable material. Similar to the exampleembodiment discussed in reference to FIG. 2e , upper section 58 mayinclude a different material composition than lower section 52 in somecases. In some embodiments, upper section 58 may have a higher degree ofstiffness than lower section 52, but in other cases, upper section 58may have a lower degree of stiffness than lower section 52. Anotherexample of a curtain without an upper strut is shown in FIG. 2h withfastener 62 affixed near or at the upper edge of screen 60 and lowerstrut 64 extending to an elevation below fastener 62. In addition,fastener 62 and lower strut 64 are shown in FIG. 2h to illustrate thatthe material composition and/or the delineation between a fastener andlower strut may be varied among the different embodiments of curtainsdescribed herein, depending on the design of the components selected.

As noted above, lower struts 36 of FIG. 1 may be coupled to fasteners 32such that the lower struts may aid in mounting and dismounting curtain30 on an object. Although lower struts 36 may be directly coupled tofasteners 32 as shown in FIG. 1, the curtains described herein are notnecessarily so limited. In particular, a curtain may have lower strutsindirectly coupled to fasteners. An example configuration of lowerstruts indirectly coupled to fasteners is illustrated in FIG. 2i . Inparticular, FIG. 2i depicts lower struts 68 indirectly coupled tofasteners 62 via rod 66. It is noted that the number of lower struts 68and fasteners 62 need not be equal but they can be and the spacingsbetween the plurality of each component need not be the same but theycan be. Other indirect coupling configurations may be considered aswell. It is further noted that lower struts 68, fasteners 62 and rode 66are not shown with a screen or upper struts to simplify the drawing, butsuch components may be compiled together to comprises a curtain.

Lastly, an alternative configuration for curtain 30 of FIG. 1 isdepicted in FIG. 2j . In particular, FIG. 2j illustrates an embodimentwith handle 72 extending from lower strut 70, which is coupled tofastener 62. It is noted that any handle configuration known in the artmay be considered for the curtains described herein and, thus, the ideaa lower strut including a handle should not be restricted to thedepiction of FIG. 2j . As denoted by the dotted lines outlining fastener62, fastener 62 is coupled to one side of screen 60 and lower strut 70and handle 72 are arranged on an opposing side of screen 60. In anyalternative configuration, lower strut 70 may be arranged on the sameside of screen 60 as fastener 62 and handle 72 may alone extend into anopposing side of screen 60. In yet other configurations, lower strut 70may be arranged internal to screen 60. As similarly described for lowerstruts 36 in reference to FIG. 1, it may be advantageous to have handle72 disposed on an opposing side of screen 34 as fasteners 62. Inparticular, such a configuration may allow an individual grasping handle72 on one side of curtain 60 to more easily mount the curtain in aforward motion away from the individual's body or at least make mountingthe curtain in such a manner more intuitive. In yet other cases, curtain60 may be mounted in a backward motion toward the body of the individualmounting the curtain. In such embodiments, it may be advantageous forhandle 72 to be disposed on the same side of screen 34 as fasteners 62.In any case, as noted above, the features described in reference toFIGS. 1-2 j are not mutually exclusive. As such, any of theconfigurations described in reference to FIGS. 1-2 i may include handle72 or some variation thereof.

As noted above, curtain 30 may be used as an addendum to existing roomdividers. More specifically, the curtains described herein areparticularly directed to facilitating attachment to edges of roomdividers which are disposed at least four feet from a floor of a roomand, in some embodiments, facilitating attachment to edges of roomdividers which are disposed at least four feet from a floor of a room.In some cases, the room divider may be a cubicle curtain 73 hung from acurtain track 74 suspended from a ceiling 75 of the room as shown inFIG. 3a . In some of such embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 3a , theedge to which one of the curtains described herein may be attached maybe the edge of curtain track 74. Alternatively, the edge to which one ofthe curtains described herein may be attached may be an edge of cubiclecurtain 73.

In some cases, a room divider which may be used to hang one of thecurtains described herein may be a cubicle curtain 76 hung from acurtain track 77 directly mounted to a ceiling 75 of the room. In suchcases, the edge to which one of the curtains described herein may beattached may be an edge of cubicle curtain 76 as shown in FIG. 3b ,including any edges of the perforations of a mesh area comprising a topsection of cubicle curtain 76 or an upper edge of the solid portion ofthe cubicle curtain. In yet other embodiments, a room divider which maybe used to hang one of the curtains described herein may be afloor-based partition 78 having an uppermost surface 79 spaced from aceiling of the room. In such cases, the edge to which one of thecurtains described herein may be attached may be upper edge 79 of floorbased partition 78 as shown in FIG. 3c . Alternatively, an edge of anopening within a floor based partition may be used to hang one of thecurtains described herein.

As further noted above, the curtains described herein may, in someembodiments, be used to block light emitted from germicidal lamp/s of adisinfection apparatus or block germicide generated from non-lampsource/s of a disinfection apparatus. In particular, the curtainsdescribed herein may include screens configured to block visible lightand/or ultraviolet light and, more specifically, to attenuate a majorityamount of the visible light spectrum and/or a majority amount of the UVClight spectrum. In addition or alternatively, the curtains describedherein may include screens configured to block non-light germicide. Inparticular, the curtains described herein may include a material towithstand repeated exposure to a germicide without disintegrating orlosing its ability to substantially block transmission of the germicidetherethrough.

In view of being used together with a disinfection apparatus, any of thecurtains described herein may comprise a system having a disinfectionapparatus with a germicidal source. An example of such a system isillustrated in FIG. 4. In particular, FIG. 4 depicts system 80 includingdisinfection apparatus 82 and curtain 84. Curtain 84 may include any ofthe curtains described herein or, more specifically, may include acurtain having any of the features described in reference to FIGS. 1-2i. In some cases, disinfection apparatus 82 may include a storagecompartment for curtain 84. In general, disinfection apparatus 82 may beconfigured for room disinfection. More specifically, disinfectionapparatus 82 may be configured to expose areas and rooms as well asobjects as a whole to a germicide and, thus, is specifically configuredto distribute a germicide in a spacious manner to an ambient of a roomin which the disinfection apparatus is arranged. Disinfection apparatus82 may be of any shape, size, or configuration in which to achieve suchobjectives. In any case, optional features for the disinfectionapparatuses considered herein include wheels and/or a handle to affectportability for the apparatus. In addition or alternatively, adisinfection apparatus may be configured to determine whether people arepresent in the area enclosed by the accompanying curtain, such as bymotion detection or photo recognition. In addition or alternatively, adisinfection apparatus may include a central processing unit to executeprogram instructions associated with operations of the apparatus. Any ofsuch optional features (i.e., wheels, a handle, a room occupancy sensorand a central processing unit) may be disposed within or on a supportstructure of the ultraviolet disinfection apparatus which supports thedischarge lamp of the apparatus.

Disinfection apparatus 82 may include one or more germicidal sources,depending on the design specifications of the apparatus. The term“germicidal source” as used herein refers to a collection of one or morecomponents used to generate and disperse a germicidal agent, and, ifapplicable, is inclusive to any additional components used to effect thegeneration or dispersal of the germicidal agent. In some embodiments, adevice or an apparatus may include a single set of components forgenerating a germicide. In such cases, the components associated withgenerating the germicide may be referred to as the germicidal source or,alternatively, the device or apparatus as a whole may be referenced as agermicidal source. In other embodiments, a device or apparatus mayinclude multiple germicidal sources (i.e., multiple sets of componentsfor generating multiple sources of one or more germicides). In any case,the germicidal sources considered for disinfection apparatus 82 may beof any size and shape, depending on the design specifications of theapparatuses. The term “germicide” as used herein refers to an agent fordeactivating or killing microorganisms, particularly disease carryingand/or disease producing microorganisms (a.k.a., germs). The term“kill,” as used herein, means to cause the death of an organism. Theterm “deactivate,” as used herein, means to render an organism unable toreproduce without killing. As such, a germicide which is configured todeactivate a microorganism refers to an agent which renders amicroorganism unable to reproduce but leaves the organism alive.

In general, the germicidal source/s of disinfection apparatus 82 may beconfigured to generate and/or disperse a germicide in form of a liquid,a vapor, a gas, a plasma, ultraviolet light, and/or high-intensitynarrow-spectrum (HINS) light. Examples of disinfection sources which maybe configured to disperse liquid, vapor, gaseous, or plasma germicidesinclude but are not necessarily limited to liquid sprayers, foggers,plasmas torchers and misting systems including wet and dry mist systems.As used herein, the term “mist” refers to a suspension of minuteglobules of a liquid in a gas. For use herein, a germicidal mist iscategorized as a liquid germicide. Examples of disinfection sourceswhich may be configured to generate ultraviolet light and/orhigh-intensity narrow-spectrum (HINS) light include discharge lamps,light emitting diode (LED) solid state devices, and excimer lasers. Insome embodiments, a germicidal light source may generate ranges of lightwhich are not germicidal such as but not limited to visible light, butsuch capability will not deter from the reference of the light sourcesbeing germicidal.

A discharge lamp as used herein refers to a lamp that generates light bymeans of an internal electrical discharge between electrodes in a gas.The term encompasses gas-discharge lamps, which generate light bysending an electrical discharge through an ionized gas (i.e., a plasma).The term also encompasses surface-discharge lamps, which generate lightby sending an electrical discharge along a surface of a dielectricsubstrate in the presence of a gas, producing a plasma along thesubstrate's surface. As such, germicidal light sources which may beconsidered for disinfection apparatus 82 include gas-discharge lamps aswell as surface-discharge lamps. Discharge lamps may be furthercharacterized by the type of gas (or gases) employed and the pressure atwhich they are operated. The discharge lamps which may be considered fordisinfection apparatus 82 include those of low pressure, medium pressureand high intensity. In addition, the gas (or gases) employed may includehelium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen, watervapor, carbon dioxide, mercury vapor, sodium vapor and any combinationthereof. In addition, discharge lamps considered for disinfectionapparatus 82 may include those which generate continuous light and/orthose which generate light in short durations, the latter of which arereferred to herein as flashtubes or flashlamps. Flashtubes or flashlampsthat are used to supply recurrent pulses of light are referred to hereinas pulsed light sources.

A commonly used gas-discharge lamp used to produce continuous light is amercury-vapor lamp, which may be considered for disinfection apparatus82. It emits a strong peak of light at 253.7 nm, which is consideredparticularly applicable for germicidal disinfection and, thus, iscommonly referenced for ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI). Acommonly used flashlamp which may be considered for disinfectionapparatus 82 is a xenon flashtube. In contrast to a mercury-vapor lamp,a xenon flashtube generates a broad spectrum of light from ultravioletto infrared and, thus, provides ultraviolet light in the entire spectrumknown to the germicidal (i.e., between approximately 200 nm andapproximately 320 nm) as well as visible light. In addition, a xenonflashtube can provide relatively sufficient intensity in the spectrumwhich is known to be optimally germicidal (i.e., between approximately260 nm and approximately 265 nm). Moreover, a xenon flashtube generatesan extreme amount of heat, which can further contribute to thedeactivation and killing of microorganisms.

Furthermore, a surface-discharge lamp may be considered for disinfectionapparatus 82 as noted above. Similar to a xenon flashtube, asurface-discharge lamp produces ultraviolet light in the entire spectrumknown to the germicidal (i.e., between approximately 200 nm andapproximately 320 nm) as well as visible light. In contrast, however,surface-discharge lamps operate at higher energy levels per pulse and,thus, greater UV efficiency, as well as offer longer lamp life ascompared to xenon flashtubes. It is noted that the aforementioneddescriptions and comparisons of a mercury-vapor lamp, a xenon flashlamp,and a surface discharge lamp in no way restrict disinfection apparatus82 to include such lamps. Rather, the aforementioned descriptions andcomparisons are merely provided to offer factors which one skilled inthe art may contemplate when selecting a discharge lamp for adisinfection apparatus, particularly depending on the objective andapplication of the apparatus.

As noted above, the germicidal source/s of disinfection apparatus 82 maybe configured to generate and/or disperse a germicide in form of aliquid, vapor, gas, or plasma. In some embodiments, a liquid, vapor,gaseous, or plasma germicide may impart its deactivation or killingfunctionality by the manner in which it is used. For example, boilingwater, steam and heated air are often effective sterilizing agents dueto the temperature at which they are employed. Furthermore, thegermicidal effectiveness of some plasma germicides is primarily due tothe presence and activity of charged particles making up the plasmarather than the molecular composition of the charged particles. As usedherein, the phrase “molecularly configured” refers to the elementalcomposition of a substance (i.e., the number and type of atoms making upa substance) to impart the function stated after the phrase. In somecases, the functionality of a liquid, vapor, gaseous or plasma germicideto deactivate and/or kill a microorganism may be attributed to theelements constituting the germicide and, thus, such germicides may bereferenced as being molecularly configured to deactivate and/or killmicroorganisms.

An example of a gaseous germicide that is molecularly configured to killmicroorganisms is ozone. Examples of plasmas germicides that aremolecularly configured to deactivate or kill microorganisms are thosethat employ or generate reactive oxygen species. Examples of liquid andvapor germicides that are molecularly configured to deactivate or killmicroorganisms include liquid and vapor disinfection solutions having aprinciple disinfection agent such as but not limited to bleach, hydrogenperoxide, chlorine, alcohol, quaternary ammonium compounds or ozone. Inany of such cases, the liquid and vapor germicides may be aqueous ornon-aqueous. It is noted that the disinfection source/s considereddisinfection apparatus 82 may include those which are configured toimpart deactivation or killing functionality by the manner in which thegermicide is used as well as by a germicide's molecularly configuration.

Examples of using one of the curtains described herein in conjunctionwith a germicidal disinfection apparatus are shown in FIGS. 5a -5 c. Inparticular, FIG. 5a illustrates a top view of a multiple occupancypatient room with curtain 90 hanging on an interior side of cubiclecurtain 92 which is drawn around a single patient bed. Disinfectionapparatus 94 is also disposed within the space enclosed by the cubiclecurtain. Disinfection apparatus 94 may include any of the germicidalsources and features described above for disinfection apparatus 82. Dueto the containment provided by curtain 90 and cubicle curtain 92,disinfection apparatus 94 may be operated in the space without exposingoccupants of the room exterior to the space to high levels and/orintensity of a germicide and/or, in the case disinfection apparatus 94include a germicidal light source, high levels or intensity of visiblelight. In some cases, disinfection apparatus 94 may be operated atmultiple locations within the space enclosed by the curtains in order toinsure all side of the bed are disinfected. However, in cases in whichdisinfection apparatus includes a germicidal light source, multipleoperations of disinfection apparatus 94 may be advantageously avoidedwhen the side of curtain 90 interior to the enclosed space comprises amaterial of relatively high reflectance (e.g., 50% or more). In analternative embodiment, curtain 90 may be hung on the exterior side ofcubicle curtain 92 as shown in FIG. 5b . In particular, FIG. 5billustrates a top view of a multiple occupancy patient room with curtain90 hanging on an exterior side of cubicle curtain 92 drawn around asingle patient bed. As shown in FIG. 5b , disinfection apparatus 94 isdisposed within the space enclosed by the cubicle curtain.

It is noted that the curtains described herein need not cover anentirety of a room divider. In particular, in some cases, partialcoverage may only be needed. An example of an embodiment in which one ofthe curtains described herein is attached to only a portion of a cubiclecurtain is shown in FIG. 5c . In particular, FIG. 5c illustrates a topview of a multiple occupancy patient room with curtain 96 hanging on aninterior side of cubicle curtain 92 drawn around a single patient bed.As shown, curtain 96 is hung in the vicinity of disinfection apparatus92, which is also disposed within the space enclosed by cubicle curtain92. In some cases, the intensity of germicide and/or visible lightemitted from disinfection apparatus 94 may dissipate enough in a shortdistance from the disinfection apparatus such that much of cubiclecurtain 92 may be sufficient to block the germicide and/or visible lightto a tolerable level for occupants exterior to the space enclosed by thecubicle curtain. In such cases, it may only be necessary or desirable toblock the portion of cubicle curtain 92 adjacent to disinfectionapparatus 94, such as shown by curtain 96 in FIG. 5c . It is noted thatcurtain 96 may be hung on the interior or exterior of cubicle curtain 92and is not restricted to corners of enclosed spaces. In addition, theidea of partially covering a room divider need not be restricted tocubicle curtains, but may extend to any room divider. Thus, the scope ofusing a curtain to partially cover a room divider should not berestricted to the depiction of FIG. 5 c.

In yet other cases, a disinfection apparatus may be configured to blockemitted germicide or visible light in a given direction or regionadjacent the apparatus. An example of such a disinfection apparatus isdepicted in FIG. 6. In particular, FIG. 6 illustrates disinfectionapparatus 100 including support structure 102 supporting germicidalsource 104 and shield 106 attached to the support structure and arrangedto block germicide and/or light emitted from germicidal source 104 froman area adjacent to disinfection apparatus 100. In general, germicidalsource 104 may be configured to generate and/or disperse a germicide inform of a liquid, a vapor, a gas, a plasma, ultraviolet light, and/orhigh-intensity narrow-spectrum (HINS) light as similarly described forthe germicidal source/s of disinfection apparatus 82. In addition,shield 106 may generally be configured to block germicide and/or lightprojected from germicidal source 104 from an area adjacent disinfectionapparatus 100. For example, in cases in which germicidal source 104 is agermicidal light source, shield 106 may be configured to block amajority amount of the visible light spectrum and/or a majority amountof the ultraviolet electromagnetic radiation subtype C light spectrum.In some of such cases, side 108 of shield 106 facing germicidal source104 may include a material which exhibits greater than 50% reflectance,or more specifically, greater than 85% reflectance.

Regardless of the type of germicide germicidal source 104 is configuredto generate and/or disperse, germicidal source 104 may generally bearranged within disinfection apparatus 100 to emit a germicide and/orlight into an ambient of a room in which the disinfection apparatus isarranged and, more specifically, may be arranged such that the germicideand/or light is propagated to a region which encircles the apparatus.For example, one manner of achieving such an objective when germicidalsource 104 is a discharge lamp is to have the germicidal lamp arrangedlengthwise and perpendicular to a horizontal plane of disinfectionapparatus 100, such as shown for germicidal source 104 in FIG. 6. Thedischarge lamp, however, may be arranged in other manners to achievesuch an objective and/or disinfection apparatus 100 may include multiplegermicidal light sources, including but not limited to discharge lampsto achieve such an objective. Similar configurations may be consideredfor other type of germicidal sources as well.

As shown in FIG. 6, shield 106 may extend to a first elevation 110 abovegermicidal source 104 and may border at least one third of a continuousring region 112 surrounding the germicidal source. Although the heightof the first elevation may vary depending on the design of disinfectionapparatus 100, an exemplary elevation, particularly for the disinfectionapparatus shown in FIG. 6 may be at least two feet above germicidalsource 104. In some cases, side 108 of shield 106 facing germicidalsource 104 may be concave. In other embodiments, side 108 may be slantedor substantially upright. As shown in FIG. 6, portion 114 of shield 106above support structure 102 may arc away from support structure 102 andmay extend up to a second elevation 116 above germicidal source 104 butbelow the first elevation 110. Although the height of the secondelevation 116 may vary depending on the design of disinfection apparatus100, an exemplary elevation, particularly for the disinfection apparatusshown in FIG. 6 may be at least one foot above germicidal source 104. Asfurther shown in FIG. 6, at least a portion of shield 106 above thesecond elevation 116 may arc back in the opposite direction. It is notedthat other shield configurations may be considered for a disinfectionapparatus, particularly to block emitted light in a given direction orregion adjacent the apparatus.

The aforementioned discussions of curtains and systems employing suchcurtains have been emphasized to be used in conjunction with existingroom dividers, e.g., cubicle curtains or floor-based partitions. Someareas, however, may not be conducive to having room dividers that areinstalled and/or are bulky occupying space. For example, relativelylarge high traffic areas with ambiguous boundaries, such as to nurses'stations in hospitals, may not be conducive to having room dividers thatare installed and/or bulky. Due to their high traffic and/or occupancy,however, it may be desirable to disinfect at least portions of suchareas occasionally. FIG. 7 illustrates an example of a room dividerwhich may be particularly suitable for such areas. In particular, FIG. 7shows room divider 120 including one or more cords 122 and a pluralityof devices 124 for supporting the one or more cords.

In general, each of devices 124 either has one of the cords attachedthereto or is configured to receive attachment of one of the cords.Although it is not necessary, it may be advantageous in some cases forat least one of devices 124 to have a cord wrap or a cord reel. In someembodiments, one or more of devices 124 may be configured to retract acord attached thereto. Alternative to cord 122 and cord bearing devices124, room divider 120 may, in some cases, include one or more poles anda plurality of devices for supporting the one or more poles. In suchcases, each of devices may either have one of the poles attached theretoor may be configured to receive attachment of one of the poles.

Regardless of whether room divider 120 includes cord/s or poles, thedevices supporting the cord/s or poles may be free-standing units (e.g.,poles or columns) in some embodiments. In addition or alternatively, thedevices supporting the cord/s or pole/s may be configured to be mountedto a wall, a door or some other set location of a room (e.g., acabinet). In some of such cases, the devices may be secured to alocation (e.g., nailed, screwed or adhered) such that it is not removedwithout an intervening tool. For instance, an example of a devicemounted to a wall via screws is a retractable single line cord reeloften used for a clothes line. In other cases, the device may besuctioned to a location and the device may include a suction releasevalve for decoupling the device without having to necessarily use anintervening tool. In yet other cases, the device may include twoportions, specifically a base portion which is anchored to a setlocation in a room (e.g., nailed, screwed or adhered) such that it isnot removed without an intervening tool and a secondary portion whichhas a quick-release feature for connection and disconnection from thebase portion. In such cases, the secondary portion has one of the cordsor poles attached thereto or is configured to receive attachment of oneof the cords or poles. Any quick release feature known in the art may beused for the secondary portion. Examples of quick release featuresincludes but art not limited to mating magnets respectively within thebase and secondary portion, a clamp with a quick release lever, andnotches or rods configured to receive or engage and secure rods ornotches of the base portion.

Regardless of the configuration of the devices used to hold the cords orpoles of room divider 120, room divider 120 includes curtain 126 and ameans for attaching the curtain to a cord or pole suspended between twosupporting devices. In general, curtain 126 and the means for attachingthe curtain to the suspended cord or pole may include any of thecurtains described herein. Alternatively curtain 126 and the means forattaching the curtain to the suspended cord or pole may include anycombination of a screen and a fastener by which to hang the screen,including embodiments in which the screen and fastener are coupledtogether or are independent of each other. Lastly, room divider 120 mayinclude a means for affecting mobility of the devices 124 together,particularly when the devices are configured for relatively quickrelease from a mounting location. Examples of such a means include butis not limited to a cart configured to hold devices 124, a means fordetachably adjoining devices 124 together, an any combination thereof.In some cases, devices 124 may be disposed on rollers to affectmobility. In other embodiments, devices 124 may be easily lifted into acart or storage container. In yet other cases, devices 124 may be smallenough to be transported by hand, such as when they are a quick releasewall mountable retractable single line cord reel.

Alternative curtain containment devices are shown in FIGS. 8-12 anddescribed in more detail below. It is noted that any of these devicesmay be used in conjunction with a disinfection apparatus for thedisinfection of a region in a room. Turning to FIG. 8, cubicle curtain130 is shown with mesh section 132 and moveable flap 134 configured toblock mesh section 132. In particular, moveable flap 134 is secured to abase of mesh section 132 and includes fasteners 136 at or near its upperedge such that moveable flap 134 may be secured at the top of meshsection 132 and/or the top of cubicle curtain 130. Moveable flap 134include a flaccid material such that it hangs below mesh section 132when it is not fastened above the mesh section. It is noted thatmoveable flap 134 may be used for cubicle curtains without a meshsection, but rather just provide an open space to the ceiling.

An alternative device for blocking an open and/or perforated area of acubicle curtain is depicted in FIG. 9. In particular, FIG. 9 illustratesflip shield 140 arranged adjacent to an upper edge of cubicle curtain130. Flip shield 140 may be coupled to the ceiling track from whichcubicle curtain 130 hangs or may be coupled to a separate mountingdevice on the ceiling adjacent to the cubicle curtain track. In eithercase, the place flip shield 140 is coupled serves as a pivot point tomove the shield down to block mesh section 132 (or a corresponding openarea above cubicle curtain 130) or move the shield up to allow fluidpassage through mesh section 132. As shown in FIG. 9, flip shield 140includes pull cord 142 to affect the aforementioned movement of the flipshield. Flip shield 140 includes a material of sufficient stiffness suchthat the shield may be upheld (such that it is does not slump or flopover to cover mesh section 132). The stiff material may be confined tothe ridge of the shield, may be confined to the body of the shieldsurrounded by its ridge, or both.

Yet another alternative device for blocking an open and/or perforatedarea of a cubicle curtain is depicted in FIG. 10. In particular, FIG. 10illustrates auxiliary curtain 150 adjacent to cubicle curtain 130. Ingeneral, auxiliary curtain 150 may be disposed in the curtain track ofcubicle curtain 130 or in a separate curtain track adjacent to thecubicle curtain track. As shown in FIG. 10, the material of auxiliarycurtain 150 may have the same or slightly larger height than meshsection 132. In addition, auxiliary curtain 150 may include pull rod 152to affect movement of the curtain along its curtain track by a user. Inthis manner, auxiliary curtain 150 may be selectively drawn to blockmesh section 132 (or a corresponding open area above cubicle curtain130). FIG. 11 illustrates yet another system for blocking an open and/orperforated area of a cubicle curtain. In particular, FIG. 11 shows asystem which includes plurality of attachable sheets 160, which may beaffixed to a curtain track of a cubicle curtain. The attachment means ofsheet 160 may be adhesive (possibly re-adherable adhesive, such as lowtack, pressure-sensitive adhesive) or magnets. As shown in FIG. 11, thesystem may include mounting pole 162 for a user to grasp individualsheets and attach them to a cubicle curtain track. Similar to auxiliarycurtain 150 of FIG. 10, sheets 160 may have the same or slightly largerheight than mesh section 132 such that mesh section 132 (or acorresponding open area above cubicle curtain 130) may be blocked bysheets 160.

FIG. 12 illustrates yet other system for containing light in a confinedarea. In particular, FIG. 12 shows opposing cubicle curtains 170 eachhaving a moveable flap 172 attached along a portion of the cubiclecurtains below their open and/or perforated section 174. Although FIG.12 shows moveable flaps 172 attached at approximately the mid-portion ofcubicle curtain 170, the position of moveable flaps is not so limited.As shown in FIG. 12, moveable flaps 172 are attached widthwise relativeto cubicle curtains 170 and are configured to join together when movedto be perpendicular with cubicle curtains 170. In particular, moveableflaps 172 includes fasteners 176 at or near their distal ends such thatmoveable flaps 172 may be secured together and, effectively block lightfrom propagating above the flaps. Moveable flaps 172 generally include aflaccid material such that they hang along the side of cubicle curtains170 when they are not fastened together.

It will be appreciated to those skilled in the art having the benefit ofthis disclosure that this invention is believed to provide containmentcurtains and, more specifically but not limited to, containment curtainsfor rooms which typically have multiple occupancy as well as systems andapparatuses including such containment curtains. Further modificationsand alternative embodiments of various aspects of the invention will beapparent to those skilled in the art in view of this description.Accordingly, this description is to be construed as illustrative onlyand is for the purpose of teaching those skilled in the art the generalmanner of carrying out the invention. It is to be understood that theforms of the invention shown and described herein are to be taken as thepresently preferred embodiments. Elements and materials may besubstituted for those illustrated and described herein, parts andprocesses may be reversed, and certain features of the invention may beutilized independently, all as would be apparent to one skilled in theart after having the benefit of this description of the invention.Changes may be made in the elements described herein without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the invention as described in the followingclaims. The term “approximately” as used herein refers to variations ofup to +/−5% of the stated number.

What is claimed is:
 1. A curtain, comprising: a pliable screen; afastener arranged along the pliable screen, wherein the fastener isconfigured for attaching the curtain to an object; a lower strut coupledto the fastener and extending to an elevation below the fastener; and anupper strut coupled to the pliable screen, wherein the upper strutextends to an elevation above the fastener, and wherein the upper strutcomprises a lower degree of stiffness than the lower strut.
 2. Thecurtain of claim 1, wherein the lower and upper struts comprisedifferent materials to affect their differences in stiffness.
 3. Thecurtain of claim 1, wherein the lower and upper struts comprisedifferent structural configurations to affect their differences instiffness.
 4. The curtain of claim 1, wherein the lower and upper strutsare integral portions of a single strut.
 5. The curtain of claim 1,wherein the lower and upper struts are distinct components coupled toeach other.
 6. The curtain of claim 1, wherein the lower and upperstruts are not connected to each other.
 7. The curtain of claim 1,wherein the fastener is one of a plurality of fasteners arranged alongthe pliable screen for attaching the curtain to an object, wherein thelower strut is one of a plurality of struts that are individuallycoupled to one or more of the plurality of fasteners, wherein theplurality of struts are spaced along the pliable screen, and wherein theplurality of struts extend to one or more elevations below the pluralityof fasteners.
 8. The curtain of claim 1, wherein the upper strut is oneof a plurality of struts which are coupled to the pliable screen andwhich extend to one or more elevations above the fastener.
 9. Thecurtain of claim 1, wherein the lower strut is at least 20% more stiffthan the upper strut.
 10. The curtain of claim 1, wherein a length ofthe upper strut is greater than approximately 20 inches.
 11. The curtainof claim 1, wherein a length of the lower strut is greater thanapproximately 24 inches.
 12. The curtain of claim 1, wherein an exteriorside of the pliable screen comprises a material exhibiting greater than85% reflectance.
 13. A system, comprising: a room divider having an edgedisposed at least four feet from a floor of a room; and an auxiliarycurtain attached to the edge via one or more fasteners, wherein theauxiliary curtain comprises: one or more struts coupled to the one ormore fasteners and extending to an elevation at least 24 inches belowthe one or more fasteners; and a section of material extending to anelevation at least 3 inches above the one or more fasteners.
 14. Thesystem of claim 13, wherein the room divider is a cubicle curtain hungfrom a curtain track suspended from a ceiling of the room, and whereinthe edge is an edge of the curtain track or an edge of the cubiclecurtain.
 15. The system of claim 13, wherein the room divider is acubicle curtain hung from a curtain track directly mounted to a ceilingof the room, and wherein the edge is an edge of the cubicle curtain. 16.The system of claim 13, wherein the room divider is a floor-basedpartition having an uppermost surface spaced from a ceiling of the room.17. The system of claim 13, wherein the section of material extends toan elevation at least 12 inches above the one or more fasteners.
 18. Thesystem of claim 13, wherein the room divider surrounds a space, andwherein the auxiliary curtain is disposed on a side of the room dividerinterior to the space.
 19. The system of claim 13, wherein the roomdivider surrounds a space, and wherein the auxiliary curtain is disposedon a side of the room divider exterior to the space.
 20. The system ofclaim 13, further comprising a disinfection apparatus disposed within aspace enclosed by the room divider, wherein the auxiliary curtain isattached to a less than whole portion of the room divider in thevicinity of the disinfection apparatus.
 21. A room divider, comprising:one or more cords or poles; one or more devices for supporting the oneor more cords or poles, wherein each of the one or more devices has oneof the cords or poles attached thereto or is configured to receiveattachment of one of the cords or poles; and a curtain comprising: apliable screen; a fastener disposed along the pliable screen, whereinthe fastener is configured for attaching the curtain to one of the cordsor poles; a lower strut coupled to the fastener and extending below thefastener; and an upper strut coupled to the pliable screen, wherein theupper strut extends to an elevation above the fastener.
 22. The roomdivider of claim 21, wherein at least one of the one or more devicescomprises: a base portion anchored to a set location in a room; and asecondary portion comprising a quick-release feature for connection anddisconnection from the base portion, wherein the secondary portion hasone of the cords or poles attached thereto or is configured to receiveattachment of one of the cords or poles.
 23. The room divider of claim21, wherein at least one of the one or more devices is nailed, screwedor adhered to a wall of a room.
 24. The room divider of claim 21,wherein at least one of the one or more devices is nailed, screwed oradhered to a door of a room.
 25. The room divider of claim 21, whereinat least one of the one or more devices is suctioned to a wall or doorof a room.
 26. The room divider of claim 21, wherein at least one of theone or more devices is a free-standing unit.
 27. The room divider ofclaim 21, wherein the fastener is disposed at least 20 inches from anupper edge of the screen.
 28. The room divider of claim 21, wherein thelower strut extends to an elevation at least 24 inches below thefastener.